الفهرس 
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Abstract
Adriamycin (doxorubicin) is an anthracycline antibiotic that has been used for more than 30 years for the treatment of a wide variety of cancers. It is obtained from Streptomyces peucetius, although a total chemical synthesis is now possible. The tumours that respond better to adriamycin are breast and esophageal carcinomas, osteosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, soft-tissue sarcomas and Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. There are other cancers that, despite being less responsive to adriamycin, are still treated with this compound because of its benefits, e.g. gastric, liver, bile-duct, pancreatic, and endometrial carcinomas Adriamycin is very important in the treatment of cancer patients although its use may be complicated by the presence of acute and chronic side effects.
Plants are of the important sources of medicine and a large numbers of drugs in use today are derived from plants. Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is a well-known aromatic plant used in the traditional medicine in many Asian, African, and South American countries for treatment of diseases. The therapeutic activity of basil is partly due to the presence of essential oils which possess a wide spectrum of pharmacological effect.
The aim of this study is to investigate the possible ameliorative role of basil in improving the toxic effects of adriamycin in albino rats. The study includes biochemical, histological and immunohistochemical examination of liver and testes.
Animals were divided into four groups as follows:
1-Control group: Animals of this group (20 rats) were maintained on normal diet through the whole experimental period. These animals administered orally with distilled water.
2-Basil extract- treated group: Animals of this group (20 rats) were given aqeous extract of basil orally at a dose level of 20 ml/kg for 5 days weekly, for 8 weeks.
3-Adriamycin Treated Group: Animals of this group (20 rats) were injected intraperitonealy with ADR at a dose level of 2 mg/kg body weight in sterile saline, once per week for 8 weeks
4- Adriamycin-Basil Treated Group: Animals of this group (20 rats) were injected intraperitonealy with ADR at a dose level of 2 mg/kg body weight in sterile saline, once per week for 8 weeks followed by oral administration of aqeous extract of basil at a dose level of 20 ml/kg for 5 days weekly, for 8 weeks.
Results can be summarized as follows:
Clinical Observations:
Rats treated with adriamycin exhibited marked reduction in their feeding habit, general weakness, loss of balance and loss of hair; whereas rats treated with both adriamycin and basil extract exhibited marked activities and an increase in their appetite and food consumption.
Body Weight:
There was a highly significant decrease in body weight in adriamycin treated group in comparison to control rats. Animals treated with adriamycin and basil extract showed a highly significant increase in their body weight compared with those of adriamycin group only.
Biochemical Results:
There was a highly significant increase in serum ALT and AST after administertion of adriamycin only in comparison with control rats.
significant decrease in serum ALT and AST in comparison with adriamycin group. On the other hand, there was a highly significant decrease in albumin level in animals administered adriamycin in comparison with control rats; while, serum albumin level was significantly increased in rats given both adriamycin and basil extract in comparison with adriamycin group. Also, a significant decrease in serum testosterone and LH after treatment with adriamycin only was recorded in comparison with control rats. Treatment with adriamycin and basil extract significantly increased the level of serum testosterone and LH in animals when compared with those given adriamycin only.
Adriamycin, also, caused a significant increase in malondialdehyde (lipid peroxidation marker) in the serum of rats and significant decrease in activities of the antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase and catalase, when compared to the control group. On the other hand, treating animals with both adriamycin and basil extract reduced the level of malondialdehyde and increased the antioxidant enzymes level, superoxide dismutase and catalase, when compared with ADR group.
Histopathological Studies:
Histologically, tissues of liver and testes examination showed many changes when compared with control rats. Livers of the control animals showed the normal appearance of the hepatic architecture. Also, liver sections obtained from rats treated with basil extract showed normal histological architecture as observed in the control animals where the liver showed no abnormalities. Livers of animals treated with ADR showed many pathological alterations such as cytoplasmic vacuolization, leucocytic infiltration, remarkable dilated veins and disruption of hepatic architecture. Changes in the nucleus appeared in the form of condensed chromatin;
whereas an improvement has happened in the liver after administration of both adriamycin and basil extract where rats exhibited little pathological alterations, few leucocytic infiltration and marked improvement in hepatic architecture.
Examination of the testes of control rats showed the typical features of normal seminiferous tubules. Animals receiving basil extract showed normal histological structure of the testes. Treatment with adriamycin resulted in a large number of seminiferous tubules lacking normal organization of spermatocytes and spermatogonia with intertubular hemorrhage and congested blood vessels. The intertubular spaces become congested and possessed degenerative lesions of the interstitial Leydig cells. In addition, a reduction of spermatogenic cells was noticed.Testes section of animals treated with both adriamycin and basil extract showed less prominent histopathological alterations. Most of the seminiferous tubules were compact with each others and spermatogic layer was increased.
Morphometric results:
Animals treated with ADR showed marked decrease in the diameter and epithelial height of seminiferous tubules when compared with the control while those treated with both adriamycin and basil extract showed a significant increase in the diameter and epithelial height of seminiferous tubules when compared with ADR treated animals.
Immunohistochemical results:
In the liver, immunohistochemical examination of liver section of control and basil extract treated rats showed a few expression of Bcl-2 in the cytoplasm of the hepatocytes. Increase in expressions of Bcl-2 were observed in liver section of adriamycin treated rats. On the other hand, decreased expressions of Bcl-2 were detected in liver of rats treated with adriamycin and basil extract. Few expression of PCNA was observed in the nuclei of the hepatocytes of control and basil extract treated groups. Increased expression of PCNA was detected in liver section of adriamycin treated rats. However, marked decrease in expression of PCNA was observed in liver rat treated with adriamycin and basil extract.
Testicular tissue obtained from control and basil extract treated rats showed a few expression of Bcl-2 in Leydig cells, while treatment with adriamycin showed increase in expression of Bcl-2. Treatment of animals with both adriamycin and basil extract decreased the expression of Bcl-2. Marked expression of PCNA was recorded in the testes of the control and basil extract treated groups. Decreased expression of PCNA in spermatogonia was observed in animals treated with adriamycin while PCNA expression increased in rats treated with both adriamycin and basil extract.
Finally, in conclusion, the present results showed that adriamycin caused biochemical, histological and immunohistochemical changes in the liver and testes of rats. On the other hand, treatment with basil extract ameliorated these alternations by its antioxidant properties.